For Cloud Strife's Lovers
by TD-Yukiryuu
Summary: Cloud is being cold with you lately... you've always been good friends, but for some reason he's not even looking at you, not even for a simple glimpse. The reason why? You'll find out :) All you have to do is put your name in the space [ ], and... enjoy! :D
1. Chapter 1

For Cloud Strife's Lovers

Cloud Strife x Reader

"[ _ ]."It's evening already and you are still enjoying spending your time alone in your room, in the second story of 7th Heaven. You are lying on your stomach over the bed, your eyes fixed on the pages of a book in front of you, when you hear Tifa's voice calling you from downstairs: "[ _ ]! Come down. Dinner's ready!"

"Yes… I'm coming." You answer and head downstairs. Going down the staircase, you hear her voice again: "[ _ ]. Cloud came with some food. You better hurry before we eat it all."

"Cloud?!" You look at him with surprise. It's been two months since the last time you saw him. He was very busy with his job, so you barely see him lately. He often had to stay up very late every night during his shifts, and then wake up really early in the morning to get back to work. But now after seeing his handsome face after a long while, a rosy blush appears on your cheeks… it came up so fast that you didn't have the time to restrain it. He didn't even look at you coming down to the bar, but the profile of his face and the idea of him finally being here after all that time made your face warm up.

You've always liked him. He's the one who saved you during the calamity… he took care of you and asked Tifa to keep you safe in her bar. He always was nice to you and treated you very well. He might look like a man of few words, always quiet and cold, but you always knew how nice and caring he is. Is it love at first sight? You don't know; but you were sure that, from the very first day you both met, your feelings toward him were growing ever stronger every day. You always tried to hide them, but it's clear now that it's way more than a mere crush. However, no matter how sincere your feelings are toward him, you never tried to confess them. 'What if he sees me only as a friend?' You were afraid that he might become disappointed if you tell him how you feel about him. So you did your best to ignore your feelings. You thought that since he's too busy with his delivery job, you'll be able to forget about him. But you realized that you are missing him even more.

"Cloud! You're here! Long time no see!" you say as you walk toward the bar counter. "Yeah… hi." He replies. He looks at you from the corner of his eye just for a brief moment and then back at the food that was placed in front of him. You wanted to sit beside him, but you choose to take the farthest seat from him so he won't notice your blush. But you are still on the same counter, which makes your heart beat faster. 'Calm down!' you order yourself.

You all start eating, quietly. It seems like no one has anything to say, though there's lot of thoughts blurring your mind. 'Hi?! Is that all he could say to me?! After all this time without even seeing his face?! He didn't even smile at me! I know he doesn't like to show any interest in anything, but… he's colder than ever! He didn't even bother looking at me! Stupid me! What was I thinking?! Why would he even think about some girl like me?!'

"Got to go." He breaks that awkward silence with these words and leaves his seat, heading toward the exit. "I'll see you… sometime soon."

"Going already?!" Tifa exclaims. "But you just came in, and your plate is still fu-…"

"Sorry Tifa… but I'm really busy today."

"You mean '_everyday_'." She replies.

With every step he takes out of the bar, your heart hurts even more. Tifa notices that, so she addresses you: "Hey,[ _ ]. Go, follow him, before he leaves!"

"What? What do you mean?"

"Aren't you going to tell him about tomorrow? Come on, hurry!"

"Oh… yeah!" you jump off your chair and follow him outside the bar.

"Cloud! Wait!" You say.

He turns to face you. "[ _ ]?! What is it?"

"Oh… nothing. It's just… emm… thank you… for the dinner."

"No problem." He says, turning his back to you and heading toward his Fenrir.

"Em… one more thing." You say. "Well… about tomorrow. The friends are planning on going to the beach, for a picnic. It's really not much… just some food and drinks, that's all. So what do you say? Wanna join us?"

"No… I can't."

"But… it's gonna be fun… really. If you don't like picnics, then we can just go for a walk. It's okay… we'll have fun-…"

"Not interested."

"But Cloud!"

"Would you knock it off already?!"He says, still turning his back to you. He rides his Fenrir and starts it. "[ _ ]." He continues. "Have fun." He drives away, disappearing from your sight.

You go back into the bar to find Tifa waiting for you. "So… what did he say? Is he going?"

You shake a 'no' with your head and take few steps up the stairs.

"Wait [ _ ]! Aren't you gonna finish your dinner first?!" She asks.

"Not hungry." You answer, going up to your room.

Tifa was able to notice how sad your face was after you spoke with Cloud. Even after you have entered your room and disappeared behind the door, she keeps standing at the bottom of the staircase looking up with eyes full of concern. "Cloud! You jerk! What have you done this time?!"

You fall on your bed and bury your tears in the mattress. You didn't want Tifa to hear you crying, but you can't stop sniffing and sobbing: "Cloud! Why are you doing this to me?! I… I love you!"

In the evening of the next day, all your friends are gathering in the bar. You all have just arrived from the beach picnic, so Tifa suggested a drink to the whole group. She is now behind the counter, taking care of the friends' orders while Barret, Vincent, Cid, Yuffie, Rude, Reno and you are around the table in the middle of the bar. They all were busy talking and drinking while you are sitting still, not having the right mood to share in any of the conversations. Reno, who is sitting beside you, keeps trying to chat up with you and in each time you try to stay away from him. "Hey, [ _ ]. What's with the face?! Cheer up, girl. Want a drink?"

"Leave me alone, Reno… I'm not in a good mood right now. You better stop bugging me."

He sneaks his arm around your neck and rests it on your shoulder: "I'm not gonna bite you or anything like that, babe. Try to have fun, yo!"

"Rhino! Stop!" you say. It seems like they all heard what you just said, so they start laughing. Reno starts yelling and shouting: "Wha… what?! R… Rhino?! You just called m-?! You… it's Reno… Re- No, not Rhino! You're unbelievable, yo!"

The loud noises of laughing and shouting were suddenly silenced when low steps entered the bar. It was Cloud. Without any greetings, he walks toward the counter-top and takes a seat.

"For some reason, I think you look a little bit like him, you know. You both are mean." Reno whispers to you. "But, unlike him… you are pretty ya know."

'Wouldn't it be better if Cloud was in his place?' you think to yourself. 'Should I forget about him? He didn't even notice that 'Rhino' is flirting with me! That's _if _he even sees me.'

"Wanna go out someday? Tomorrow maybe?" Reno asks.

"Emm… okay. Why not? That would be great." You answer.

"Wow! That was easy! Sweet! Wanna dress something hot, then… yo?"

"Don't push it, Rhino!"

"Okay, okay, yo… not gonna push it. So… how about a… a kiss?"

"Reno!"

Cloud stares at the shiny top of the counter, not noticing that the glass between his fingers is about to burst into micro-pieces. "Is there something wrong?" Tifa asks him.

"What?" he says. She smirks and says: "You know… if you're going to break the glass on purpose, then you'll have to pay for it." He looks downward in embarrassment. "Sorry… I don't mean to."

"I know. Cloud… it's not about the glass. A girl's heart is pretty fragile… if you break it, you're going to hurt her, yourself, and you'll have to pay for the damages."

"What?! What are you talking about?"

"It's now or never, Cloud. If you don't make your move now, somebody else will." She winks at him and waves with her hand: "Go… come on."

You try to escape Reno's eager attempts to steal a kiss from you, but he never stops begging you. "Come on… one kiss won't hurt. I promise, once you kiss me, you'll be begging for more, yo."

"[ _ ]." You find Cloud standing next to you. "I need to speak with you… follow me." He says and walks few steps away. "No!" You say, crossing your arms. Reno smirks at your reaction.

Cloud asks again: "It's serious. We have to spe-…"

"Not interested." You answer. "I'm having fun now… you can talk to me later."

"Now, [ _ ]!"

"No!"

Reno gets in the line: "Dude… she said no… get lost now… we're busy here, yo!"

Cloud throws a cold look at Reno making him frown, and he swiftly grabs your arm and pulls you, leading you to the stairs. "Hey, man… What do you think you're doing yo?!" Reno exclaims. You try to pull yourself away from him, but his grip is too tight for you to escape it. "Let go!" you say, but he refuses. He takes you upstairs and into his room and closes the door behind him. "Tell me now [ _ ]... what are you doing?"

"What?! What do you mean?!" you ask.

"Did you enjoy it? Spending time with that fool?"

"The beach was quite enjoyable… we had real fun… even now while we were sitting together… it was fun, until you came."

"How far did you two go 'till now?" he asks.

"You?! How dare you speak to me like that?!"

"How dare you let him touch you like that?!" His sharp looks start to soften as his cheeks start slightly blushing after saying these words. "What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing! It's none of your business anyway… wait… so you noticed that… and I thought that you don't even see me." You say in a sarcastic way.

"Do you like him?" He asks, refusing to look into your eyes.

"What?!" Even though you knew the easy answer, but his question made you become speechless. "I… I'm…"

"Just as I thought… so you do like h-…"

"No! No I don't."

"No need to lie to me, [ _ ]. It's just that he's not the right guy for you… You two are very different…"

"I told you I don't like him… how would I ever like him when there's someone else in my life…" You stop immediately, realizing that you have said too much until now.

"Someone else?! May I ask who that is?" He asks, fixing his Mako infused blue eyes back on you, but this time they look a bit softer than before.

"No." You answer. "Forget about it, Cloud."

"Do you really love him?!" he asks. You gaze at his wonderful eyes and your heart can't help but tell how much you loved the charm of their blue: "More than anybody else. I do." You then shake your head: "Just forget it… I don't wanna talk about it." You walk past him and toward the door, when he suddenly grabs your arm once again and turns around, making you look at him.

"Cloud!"

"Does he love you back?"

"I don't know… I… I never told him about my feelings. He doesn't know. But I think that he doesn't like me… maybe… maybe he even hates me."

"Hates you?! Why would anybody hate you?"

"Because of the way he treats me… he's always cold and ignorant toward me… but I don't care anymore."

He looks at the sad expression on your figure, so he reaches for your face and caresses it so gently with his fingers: "Well… I think that guy doesn't even deserve you. He's crazy for not noticing how beautiful you are."

"Cloud!" You are cut as he presses his lips against yours. He moves his arm to your lower back and pulls you closer to him, pinning your body to his chest. His lips are firmly sealed on yours, preventing any breath of air from sneaking in. He kisses you so passionately, making your heart skip a beat. He never showed this much passion to anything before… but this time, he doesn't want to let go… he wants to be a passionate lover, with you. As you two struggle for some air, he slowly breaks the kiss and looks deep into your eyes… you can't help but look back at him and drown in the wide blue ocean of his beautiful eyes.

He starts speaking: "You might have expected these words from someone else, but I want you to hear them from me first. It's not that I deserve you better than he does, but it's… it's because… I love you… I'm sure that I love you more than he does, more than anybody would. I'm sorry I ran away… from my love. I tried to hide it because I thought it's wrong for me to fall in love… or maybe, I just… I didn't want to hurt you by being too close to you, because that's the only thing I'm good at… hurting the ones I love. So I decided I'd forget about you… I even tried to ignore you and stop looking at you… because each time I look at you, I lose myself completely. I know it hurts you when I act cold toward you, but I thought it'd be the best way to forget and let go of my feelings… but I couldn't… I came to love you even more."

"Cloud… do you really mean all what you said? I… I used to laugh at myself when dreaming that someday you'll say that you love me. You never know how long I've waited for you to speak these words…"

"Waited for me? You mean… I am…"

"Yes, Cloud… You are the man I thought he hates me. You're the one I always loved."

You two can't stop staring deep into each other's eyes, while you brush his handsome figure with the tip of your fingers.

"[ _ ]! I'm sorry for all the troubles I caused you… But Reno's drawing closer to you and laying his hand over you drove me insane… I'm sorry that my confession had to be so sudden and violent… but I had to stop him before he goes too far…"

"So… you're saying you were jealous, you mighty Cloud Strife?" you smile mischievously at him.

He smiles back, unable to keep his face from heating up. "[ _ ]..." he chuckles softly: "How about a kiss?" he asks.

You let your fingers play with his spiky golden hair, pulling him slowly closer to you. He holds you tight with his strong arms and your lips meet again. Your other hand caresses the taut muscles of his chest, while his hands creep under your shirt and stroke the silky skin of your back. He then starts brushing your jaw down to your neck with his mouth, making you melt after feeling his hot breath blowing against your skin. "I love you." He whispers and returns to kiss your lips. "I love you too, Cloud" you mumble into the kiss.

"Am I interrupting something?" you look toward the door and find Reno standing there, an evil smirk on his face.

"R- Reno?!" the two of you start blushing wildly. Cloud says: "When did you…? How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to watch you both kissing." Reno answers. "So, Cloud. Is this your… 'Serious' matter you wanted to speak with [ _ ] about?!"

"Get lost, Rhino." Cloud says, looking back at you. "I'm busy right now."

"Rhi… Rhino?! You… UGH! Well, I'm telling about you two, yo!" he turns to go downstairs. Cloud escapes a silent laugh and says to you: "So… where were we?"

"And hey… one more thing." Reno gets back, stretching his neck in from behind the door. "Can I borrow her for tomorrow… just on a date?"

"You!" Cloud draws his sword and follows the red punk who starts running away. You laugh as you watch Reno running downstairs with all he's got, panting and shouting: "Rude! Start the helicopter!"


	2. Chapter 2

Cloud Strife x Reader  
Short story  
Chapter 2

'Where are you now? Cloud?' You are standing in the kitchen of the 7th Heaven, busy washing the glasses and letting the water from the faucet run down between your hands. You are being careful so everything may look clean and neat, but in the same time your thoughts are in a mess. The kiss he planted on your lips made your senses so agitated and you can still feel the gentle touch of his fingers across your back. It's been over a week since the last time you saw him, but you never thought that you could become so thirsty for his lips, eager to drown again in the serene blue heavens of his eyes.

Your heart flutters erratically each time his face flashes in your mind; 'Why do I miss him so much?! I know he's always busy… but even after he confessed his love to me… doesn't he miss me back? Why doesn't he come to see me? Why doesn't he even call?'

"[ _ ]?" You hear small steps drawing closer to you.  
"Marlene? Denzel? What is it?"  
"Where's Tifa?" asks Marlene.  
"Um… I think she went to buy some stuff for the bar. Is there anything I can do for you?"  
"We're bored!" says Denzel.  
"Is that so? Hmm, bored?" You turn the faucet off and dry your hands with a towel. "I was wondering…"  
"Uh-oh!" Marlene places her fingers on her mouth, hiding her innocent smile. "She's coming!"

They start running away when you suddenly leave the towel aside and start chasing after them. The three of you run across the 7th Heaven's floor, giggling and laughing with all your hearts. "You can't catch us!" Marlene shouts.  
"We'll see about that." You say. It's so good that those two are around; they were able to get you out of that encircling whirl of thoughts that you were lost inside. You all are jumping around crazily, filling the corners of the bar with joyful laughs. "Caught ya!" you say, holding the cute little girl in your arms. "And you thought you could get away from me!"

"Don't worry, Marlene! I will save you!" Denzel runs toward you and starts tickling you, making you laugh uncontrollably. "Denzel, stop! I'm so ticklish… please, stop!" You giggle.  
"I won't stop until you let go of Marlene. When Cloud is not here, I am responsible; and I will protect Marlene!" He says, trying to imitate Cloud's serious face, but his cute smile is always dominant.  
"Let's see who is gonna save _you_!" You take him with your other arm and start cuddling the two kids. They hug you so tight and say: "We love you, [ _ ]."  
"I love you too." You reply.

"Ehem… sorry for interrupting. Where can I find Miss [ _ ]?" A man opens the door of the bar and walks in.  
You stand straight and fix your clothes with your hands: "I am [ _ ]… how can I help y-… Cloud?!"  
"Cloud!" The kids shout, run to him and wrap their arms around his legs. "We missed you so much!"  
"I missed you too, Marlene, Denzel. Are you giving [ _ ] a hard time?"  
"No, we were just playing. I was pretending to be you, the Hero of the House." Denzel says, clenching a small fist in front of his face.  
Cloud kneels on the floor, in front of Denzel: "Really? A hero? So, tell me… where's your girl?"  
"Girl?!" Denzel asks.  
"Yeah. Every hero must have a girl that he should protect whenever she's in danger."  
"Um… I was trying to protect Marlene… so I think… I think that she is… she is the girl. Right?" Denzel starts blushing deeply.  
"See… that's what heroes do. Great job, Denzel." Cloud gives Denzel a light stroke on the head. "I'm proud of you."

"So, Cloud. Who's _your_ girl?" Marlene asks.  
Cloud smiles timidly at her question: "You will probably figure it out, soon."  
"Is she pretty?"  
"The fairest of them all." He answers.  
"Do you love her?"  
"I adore her, and I want her to know that. I feel really awful though… because I don't see her lately. I really wish she forgives me… I miss her so bad."  
"Are you going to marry her?"  
"Well, if she accepts me… then yes, I am."  
He looks at you and notices the coy blush on your figure. He stands up and walks slowly closer to you.

"Hi, Cloud." You smile gently.  
"How've you been, [ _ ]?"  
"I'm fine, thank you. Why don't you come more often? This is your home too, you know."  
"Sorry, but I've been really busy lately."  
"I… _We_… we missed you, Cloud."  
"I missed you more, [ _ ]." He looks downward for a moment as a hint of light red appears on his cheeks. "By the way, before I forget… somebody has sent you this box." He handles you a small box that is wrapped very carefully. "Who's this from?" you ask.  
"I don't know… it doesn't say. It only has your name on it." He says.  
"Really?" You lift your eyebrow questioningly.  
"But whoever sent it, you sure mean a lot to him." He adds.  
"I doubt it." You say. "Anyways… wanna stay for a drink?"  
"No… I have to get back to work. See ya."  
"Yeah. See ya." You sigh quietly as you watch him once again walking out of the bar.

**********  
(In your bedroom)  
You sit on your bed and take the box into your hands, impatient to know what's inside it. You open it to find a small black velvet box lying in the bottom. Your fingers shudder as they take hold of the box; you open it and a great surprise strikes you; a beautiful shiny silver ring crowned with a breathtaking sparkling diamond. Your heart starts racing as you slowly touch the curved shape of the ring. You take it and slide it carefully onto your finger. It fits perfectly around it; it's like, after studying and memorizing the delicate contours of your fingers with his hands, he was able to choose the right ring.

Your eyes are completely blinded, not by the wonderful splendor of the diamond, but by the warm tears that are blurring your sight. Through that thick layer of tears, your eyes glimpse a note that is still in the bottom of the larger box. You reach for it and open it. Four words were written in there, but they were more than enough to let the tears that you were trying to hang behind your eyelids finally fall onto your cheeks. It reads: "Will you marry me?"

You smile widely and deliver a slight giggle from your mouth. You pin the small paper to your heart and fall back over the bed. "Yes Cloud… yes I will."

**********  
It's 11:30 pm already, and you are still helping Tifa taking the customers' orders and cleaning the tables, when the phone starts ringing. "I'll take it." Tifa says.  
"Hello… you've reached the 7th Heaven bar… how can I-… Ah, it's you. Right now? Okay. By the way… good luck and have a good night." She chuckles softly and hangs up. "Hey, [ _ ]. You can go to sleep now." She says.  
"Now?! What about the customers?"  
"Leave them to me. I know you're tired."  
"No I'm not… I'll stay up and help you cleaning."  
"Na-ah. You're going to have some rest, just for today… it's late anyway."  
"Okay Tifa… whatever you say. Goodnight." You head to the stairs, but before you disappear from her sight, she says to you: "Hey, [ _ ]... enjoy… and have a goodnight!"  
You give her a quizzical look, but then you decide to ignore her enigmatic words, taking your steps to the second floor. You go into your room and turn the lights on. You gasp in shock when you see someone sleeping in your bed. You walk slowly to the side of the bed in order to find out who that person is, but his/her face is totally covered with the blanket. Considering the size of the body, it cannot be one of the kids. But who could this be? You glimpse a single strand of golden hair appearing from under the blanket; you try to uncover the face when he suddenly grips your wrist and pulls you down to the bed, next to him.

"Cloud?! What are you doing here?!"  
"What? You asked me why I don't come here more often, so here I am."  
"No… I mean… you surprised me. I didn't expect you to be here, in my room, on… my… bed."  
"Well… I came to hear your response."  
"My… response?"  
"Yeah."  
"You mean this?" You lift your right hand from under the blanket, showing the ring around your finger.  
He smiles and says: "So what… that doesn't prove anything… you have to say it." He says.  
"Say what?"  
"The answer of the question I wrote in the note."  
You fold your arms around his neck and pout, making a cute puppy face: "What note? I don't know what you're talking about?"  
"Come on, [ _ ]! I really need to hear your response."  
"An impatient boy you are! A long time I've been waiting for you, so it's okay if you wait for me." You say. He plays the same puppy face as you did. He looks just so cute when his blue cat-eyes widen, sparkling with so much innocence. "Okay, okay… you continue. "But then, you'll have to ask me again. I mean, this is how far you've got until now, lying in my bed, and you still can't ask such a simple question!"  
"It's not as simple as you think it is, [ _ ]."  
"Then, try… and I promise, I won't disappoint you."  
"Okay." He takes a deep breath and gazes deep into your eyes: "[ _ ]. Will you… [sighs] will you marry me?"

You stretch your neck and kiss him gently on his lips. "Yes… I will… I will marry you, Cloud."  
"[ _ ]." He holds you tight against his chest and whispers in your ear: "I love you." You enjoy his warmth as you snuggle into the strong muscles of his chest. "Cloud… why didn't you call first? You scared me when I saw you sleeping here."  
"I did… I called Tifa."  
"So you're the one that Tifa was talking to on the phone!"  
"Yeah… I wanted it to be a surprise."  
"Very surprising indeed. So you two were planning for this! How did you come in here anyways?!"  
"Through the window. See what your love has done to me? Now I look like a thief, sneaking in to steal my love away."  
"Then, I'll have to lock the window for the next time."

He leans upwards, letting his leg drape over you, and he bends on top of you. "Is that how much you hate me?!"  
"Maybe…" you say, chuckling.  
"Then I'll teach you how to love me." He says and presses his lips on yours. You place both your hands on his bare chest, feeling the increasing heartbeats of his. He burrows his hands under your back and pulls you up to meet his body. "Do you love me now?" he asks, his lips brush yours as he mutters.  
"I always did, Cloud… and I will forever love you."


End file.
